This morning I visited Chouteau Island for the first time. I've wanted to check it out for some time but haven't got around to it. The island is along the Mississippi River on the Illinois side, a little south of the confluence with the Missouri River. Four days of rain had made it a muddy mess and the trails were flooded so hiking was limited. It was a cold morning along the river with light cloud cover allowing the sun to occasionally break through.

The trees have lost their leaves but there is still green ground cover mixing with the dead leaves. One area of the island is becoming overgrown with vines that cover the trees and almost anything vertical. The vines have lost their leaves and the yellow brown vines covering the trees are mixed with dead leaves and it creates a surreal atmosphere. I captured a number of scenes that convey this atmosphere and will be posting a gallery of the images in days to come. Here is one of the scenes I captured this morning.

To see more images from this trip visit the Chouteau Island gallery on my website.